Schools as Moderators of Genetic Associations with Life Course Attainments: Evidence from the WLS and Add Health
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| Title: | Schools as Moderators of Genetic Associations with Life Course Attainments: Evidence from the WLS and Add Health |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Trejo, Sam, Belsky, Daniel W., Boardman, Jason D., Freese, Jeremy, Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Herd, Pam, Sicinski, Kamil, Domingue, Benjamin W. |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. Aug 2018 5:513-540. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2018 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH) National Institute on Aging (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | R305B140009 R01HD073342 R01HD060726 P01HD31921 R01AG04186801A1 P30AG017266 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Genetics, Educational Attainment, Employment, Secondary Schools, Institutional Characteristics, Postsecondary Education, Socioeconomic Status, Educational Environment, Adolescents, Longitudinal Studies |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health |
| DOI: | 10.15195/v5.a22 |
| Abstract: | Genetic variants identified in genome-wide association studies of educational attainment have been linked with a range of positive life course development outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether school environments may moderate these genetic associations. We analyze data from two biosocial surveys that contain both genetic data and follow students from secondary school through mid- to late life. We test if the magnitudes of the associations with educational and occupational attainments varied across the secondary schools that participants attended or with characteristics of those schools. Although we find little evidence that genetic associations with educational and occupational attainment varied across schools or with school characteristics, genetic associations with any postsecondary education and college completion were moderated by school-level socioeconomic status. Along similar lines, we observe substantial between-school variation in the average level of educational attainment students achieved for a fixed genotype. These findings emphasize the importance of social context in the interpretation of genetic associations. Specifically, our results suggest that though existing measures of individual genetic endowment have a linear relationship with years of schooling that is relatively consistent across school environments, school context is crucial in connecting an individual's genotype to his or her likelihood of crossing meaningful educational thresholds. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2018 |
| Accession Number: | ED592673 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Genetic variants identified in genome-wide association studies of educational attainment have been linked with a range of positive life course development outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether school environments may moderate these genetic associations. We analyze data from two biosocial surveys that contain both genetic data and follow students from secondary school through mid- to late life. We test if the magnitudes of the associations with educational and occupational attainments varied across the secondary schools that participants attended or with characteristics of those schools. Although we find little evidence that genetic associations with educational and occupational attainment varied across schools or with school characteristics, genetic associations with any postsecondary education and college completion were moderated by school-level socioeconomic status. Along similar lines, we observe substantial between-school variation in the average level of educational attainment students achieved for a fixed genotype. These findings emphasize the importance of social context in the interpretation of genetic associations. Specifically, our results suggest that though existing measures of individual genetic endowment have a linear relationship with years of schooling that is relatively consistent across school environments, school context is crucial in connecting an individual's genotype to his or her likelihood of crossing meaningful educational thresholds. |
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| DOI: | 10.15195/v5.a22 |
